about foffund.
SECRET
From C. in C. China.
Addressed
MESSAGE
Interdepartmental Cypher
IN
Date.
12.5.39.
Time.
1217
Naval Liaison Officer, repeated Admiralty,
H. M. Ambassador Shanghai, H. M. Ambassador Tokyo,
Commodore in Charge Hong Kong.
IMPORTANT
120
?
Lalita
(200 (2)))
328. South China's Morning Post of May 11th quotes North China's Daily News as stating FENDITA has been seized
by Japanese off Foochow on 27th April and that this was
admitted by spokesman at a press conference.
Nothing has been heard of this ship since
PENDITA is
information given in S. N.O's telegram No. 1737/3.
British registered was apparently under charter to the
Fukien Transportation Company of Foochow for carriage of tea
from that port to Shachung (Namkwang) 100 miles north of
Foochow this being her first tea trip this year. Previous
to March 1939 when she was laid up she was on charter
September/November 1938 to the Footock Bong Transportation
Company Hong Kong and plied to Swabue from Canton and up
the coast December 1938/February 1939 she was chartered to
Salt Administration and traded between Kwangchowan and
Tungshan near Swatow. These details are irrelevant to issue
but illustrative of fact that while within the law she must
have irritated Japanese considerably. You should ascertain
from Admiral Namkwang if this reported seizure is indeed a
fact/
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